KRASNOYARSK. March 2 (Interfax) -A banking crisis may occur in Russia in 2009, if the downward tendency of banks' liquidity is maintained, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs President Alexander Shokhin told a Thursday press conference in Krasnoyarsk.

"In spite of the fact that it (the banking system) recovered after the 2004 crisis quite quickly, and even strengthened, the main indicators of banks' liquidity are currently decreasing. If the tendency of falling bank liquidity is maintained, and it is in many aspects related to the policy of withdrawing money for the stabilization fund, the banks will be in a difficult situation," Shokhin said.

In order to find a way out of the unfavorable situation, the banks will be forced to raise their interest rates, despite the favorable general economic conditions. "There is a reason why many experts are talking about a possible bank crisis in 2009. It is a paradox of sorts, the inflation rate is decreasing while interests are not, on the contrary, they are growing," Shokhin said. "Credit resources in Russia are quite expensive. This is why major businesses try to attract funds from foreign financial organizations, where the price of money is lower," Shokhin said.